Portland Timbers Friendship Cup Recap

While Vancouver Whitecaps FC were off from MLS action this weekend, the ‘Caps youth teams were busy against their MLS counterparts at the Portland Timbers Friendship Cup.

GIRLS ELITE

The Girls Elite team impressed by winning all three matches they played in Portland this past weekend. On the trip were a similar group of players that had attended the NCAA Final 4 showcase and the Las Vegas showcase within the past several months.

"The players performed at a very good level all weekend,” said Girls Elite head coach Jesse Symons. “We came into the weekend with the objective to keep the ball as much as possible and push teams down into their defensive quarter. We were able to have the ball for long patches of play and they definitely achieved our objective.”

Saturday the girls defeated Portland 96’ 1-0 on a goal from Alessia Azermadhi

And finally on Sunday, the Girls Elite team downed FC Portland U-18 2-1 on two perfectly placed free kicks. Chelsea Harkins scored from 25 yards out and Aman Shergill scored on a shot on the edge of the 18-yard box.

PRE-RESIDENCY

The ‘Caps U-13, U-14 and U-15 Pre-Residency teams had a successful weekend in Oregon with an overall record of 4W-4L-1D.

“It was a very good weekend with some strong performances against our MLS counterparts,” said Whitecaps FC Pre-Residency head coach Bart Choufour. “The boys were fantastic ambassadors for the club and played with great focus.”

Friday saw the U-13 ‘Caps earn a 2-2 draw against their Portland Timbers counterparts, while the U-15s came away with an impressive 7-1 win over the Timbers U-15s. The U-14s meanwhile, defeated Timbers Alliance U-15 6-1.

Saturday ended with the U-13s falling 1-0 to Washington Crossfire U-14, and the ‘Caps U-14s falling 2-0 to their San Jose Earthquake counterparts. The U-15 ‘Caps rounded out the day with a 4-1 win over Crossfire U-16.

Sunday concluded the tournament with the ‘Caps U-13s beating San Jose Earthquakes U-13 5-0, the ‘Caps U-14s being defeated 3-1 against Portland Timbers U-14, and the ‘Caps U-15s falling 3-1 against San Jose Earthquakes U-15.